i wonder why fuji never made a x-pro-monochrome...

“To convert a camera to monochrome, we take the camera apart, remove the sensor, remove the sensor coverglass which is epoxied to the ceramic package then use special equipment to remove about 5 microns from the surface of the sensor removing the microlenses and the Color Filter Array,” company president Dan Llewellyn tells PetaPixel. “This exposes the bare photodiodes so that all the pixels see the same light.”

I wonder what kind of effect removing micro-lenses would have to the final image, especially anything wide angle.
 
I am also curious about how that would look with a WA like the 21SA whose rear element is so close to the sensor...

I wonder if they would do a Leica M8...
 
Doesn't the combination of ACROS film simulation with the X-trans III sensor + X pro processing unit make this discussion moot? Incredible results from what I have seen.
 
I'm gonna agree and disagree with others here. Yes, the technical merits of a true monochrome sensor does make it a unique and better-suited way to shoot B&W. I'd love to be able to spring for a monochrom M or X camera for the same reasons I prefer B&W film as well - the ability to use colored filters to control contrast and tonal response. Yeah, I know you can do similar things with color files in post, but it just isn't the same.

But, as others have said, the economic argument against a monochrom sensor are compelling. Fuji X Cameras are a niche item for Fuji as a company, and from what I remember seeing somewhere vis a vis Fuji's 2016 earnings, Fuji's Imaging division only accounts for about 14% of it's overall revenue, with X cameras accounting for a mere 4% or so of that small percentage. I think even Instax sales account for more profit than the X cameras do.

Fuji has made it a point to keep its cameras and lenses VERY affordable considering the overall IQ and performance you get, and I can't see them developing a high-cost, low sales volume product for a segment of their business that accounts for such a small percentage of their revenue stream. After all, we do want them to stay in business. :D
 
honozooloo said:
... Fuji X Cameras are a niche item for Fuji as a company, and from what I remember seeing somewhere vis a vis Fuji's 2016 earnings, Fuji's Imaging division only accounts for about 14% of it's overall revenue, with X cameras accounting for a mere 4% or so of that small percentage. I think even Instax sales account for more profit than the X cameras do.
...
Click to expand...

You remembered the correct 2016 Imaging Solutions Group annual gross income percentages. The total gross income for all of FUJIFILM Holdings was just about $1.25 Billion.

And Instax income had to be much higher (although it wasn't broken down in the public financial data. FUJIFILM sold over 5 million Instax cameras in 2016. The X-Series business was profitable, but much less so compared to Instax.
 
honozooloo said:
I'm gonna agree and disagree with others here. Yes, the technical merits of a true monochrome sensor does make it a unique and better-suited way to shoot B&W. I'd love to be able to spring for a monochrom M or X camera for the same reasons I prefer B&W film as well - the ability to use colored filters to control contrast and tonal response. Yeah, I know you can do similar things with color files in post, but it just isn't the same.
Click to expand...

You can still use colored filters for your regular DSLR as well. I have done it a few times. Definitely worth an experiment.

I would love to get a monochrome only camera but the Leica version is way out of my price range. I think if Fuji made one I would probably buy.
 
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